Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-12
flames. For four hours they fought

carry it in and desperately they dug
their fingers down into the earth which
the long drouth had baked almost as
hard as stone.
DESPERATE EFFORTS.
. They heaped handfulls upon the
encroaching flames, and with this
earthwork, built handful by handful
kept back the fiery foe. While this
was going on other brave men crept
underneath the wrecked cars, beneath
the fire, and with pieces OF boards,
and sometimes with their hands, beat
back the flames as they flashed up
alongside some unfortunate victim
who, pinned down by beam, looked
as if his death by fire was certain.
While the fight was going on the ears
of the workers were filed with
THE GRoANs OF DYING MEN,
and the anguished entreaties of those
whose death seemed certain unless the
terrible blaze could be extinguished.
The cries rang out of those who were
too badly hurt to care in what manner
their end was brought about, so only
that it should be quick.
SPARTAN COURAGE.
The rescuers dug up the earth with
their hands, regardless of the blood
streaming out from their broken
finger-nails, and heaped it up in little
mounds, while loud there came the
heartrending cry, "For Gods sake
don't let us burn to death !" Finally
the victory was won. The fire was
out after four hours of hard fighting
AT BREAK OF DAY.
Dawn then came upon a scene of
horror. While the fight had been 60
ing ON men had been dying and there
were not so many wounded to take
out of the wreck as there had been u
few hours before, but in the meantime
the country had been aroused and
help had come from Chatsworth, For
est and Piper City.
GHOULs AT WORK.
No sooner had the wreck occurred
than the robbery commenced. Some
band of miscreants, with only crimi-
nal instincts, were on hand and these
human hyenas plundered the dead,
taking even the shoes which covered
their feet.
NO CLUE TO THEIR IDENTITY.
Who these wretches are is not now
known. Whether they were a band
of pickpockets who accompanied the
train or q robbers gang who were
lurking in the vicinity cannot be stat
ed. Suspicion, however exists that
the accident was deliberately
planned case of train wrecking.
INHUMAN CONDUCT.
The robbers went into the cars when
the fire was burning fiercely under
meath and when the people who were
penned there begged them for help
the robbers stripped them of their
watches and jewelry and searched
their pockets. When the dead bodies
were laid out in the cornfield the plum
derers turned them over in their
search for valuables. That the plum
der was done by
AN ORGANIZED GANG
seems proven by the fact that this
morning sixteen purses were found in
one heap.
A HEARTRENDING INCIDENT.
There was one incident of the acci-
dent which stood out more horribly
than all of the horrible scenes. In
coach was a man with his wife and
little child. His name could not be
learned to-day but it is said that he
got on at Peoria. When the accident
occurred the entire family were caught
and held down by the broken wood
work.
RELIEF ARRIVES.
When relief came the man turned
to the friendly aid and said feebly:
"Take out my wife. Pm afraid my
child is dead" So they carried out
the mother and as the broken seat
was taken off her crushed breast, the
blood which welled from her lips told
how badly she was hurt. They car
ried the child, fair haired girl OF 3
and laid her in the cornfield dead
alongside
HER DYING MOTHER.
Then they went back for the father
and brought him out. Both his legs
were broken, but he crawled through
the corn to the side of his wife. and
looking at her, pressed some brandy
to her lips and asked her how she
felt.
A TERRIBLE GRoAN
Was the only answer, and the next
instant she was dead. The man felt
the forms of his dead wife and child,
and cried out, "My God, there is
nothing now for me to live for!" and
taking pistol out of his pocket, he
PULLED THE TRIGGER.
The bullet crashed through his brain,
and the three dead bodies of the little
family are now lying side by side in
Chatsworth waiting to be identified.
REMOVING THE DEAD.
AS the dead were laid reverently
alongside of each other out in the
cornfield, there we're ready hands to
take the injured into Chatsworth,
while some wounded were carried to
Piper City.
THE DEATH-RoLL.
One hundred and eighteen was the
awful roll of the dead, while the
wounded number four times that
number. The full tale of death can
not, however, be told for days.
RAILROAD REPORT.
PEORIA, August 11.--A private dis
patch from Superintendent Arm
strong, of the T. P. & w., says that ll0
bodies have so far been taken out OF
the wreck at Chatsworth.
LIST OF THE VICTIMS.
The following persons were killed
Ed. McClintock, Peoria, engineer
aged 36, leaves wife and three child,
rem the son of Ezra Meek age 20, OF
Eureka; Miss May Laws, Eureka;
Arthur Mccarthy, Eureka; James
VA.xA Af